Widow Says EMT Stole $238 from Ill Husband

Authorities are investigating accusations that an East Jefferson General Hospital paramedic stole money from an unconscious man who collapsed in a convenience store last month, an act allegedly caught on tape by surveillance cameras.

The victim, James Smith, 46, died in his sleep of unknown causes on Jan. 1, but not before filing an incident report with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office on Dec. 27.

Smith said a male paramedic took $238 in cash from him as he lay on the floor of the Discount Zone food store at 5350 Jefferson Highway in Elmwood on Dec. 23.

A Sheriff's Office deputy who viewed footage from the store's three surveillance cameras trained on the spot where Smith went down said in his initial report that he saw the male emergency medical technician "bending over the victim . . . and reaching over the victim's right shoulder and with his right hand remove the victim's money from the victim's hand."

Smith told the deputy that no money was ever returned to him .

"I can't believe they did that," Smith's widow, Lisa Smith, said Wednesday. "I can't believe they stole money from my husband while they're supposed to be taking care of him."

Sheriff's Office spokesman Col. Robert Garner said the investigation was ongoing.

Although the paramedic, who has not been identified, was cleared by an initial internal investigation by East Jefferson General Hospital, spokeswoman Valerie Englade said officials were unaware the Sheriff's Office investigation was still under way. They also did not know of the videotape. Englade said the hospital intends to take another look into the matter.

"We take that very seriously," she said Wednesday.

The incident occurred on the afternoon of Dec. 23. Smith told a relative that he was feeling ill and needed a walk. He headed over to the Discount Zone, which was across the street from the Jefferson Highway FEMA trailer park where he had been staying, according to his wife.

Assistant Manager Habdelrahman Elnaggar was working the register that day. He said Smith had removed a roll of money from his pocket to pay for some candy when he began to feel faint and collapsed in front of the first counter.

In surveillance footage made available to The Times-Picayune, Smith can be seen leaning over several times before he fell to the floor. He landed on his left side and curled up facing the counter. Smith lay there untouched for about eight minutes until the arrival of East Jefferson EMT Unit 30, an unidentified male and female team, according to the video and the incident report.

Although the deputy said in his report that he first viewed the incident from several camera angles on Dec. 27, the footage from only one camera was available Wednesday. Discount Zone Manager Mohammad Sirel explained that his digital system begins to delete footage every eight days.

But in his recounting of the initial viewing, the deputy said he could see the male paramedic remove the money and later said the man "quickly concealed the victim's money by placing it into his right pocket."

Before everyone left, Elnaggar said he handed the dollar bill that Smith intended to use to buy the candy to the female paramedic.

"At least they should have given him that dollar," Elnaggar said.

The police report erroneously says Smith was taken to East Jefferson Hospital in Metairie for treatment. Englade said he was actually transported to Ochsner Medical Center on Jefferson Highway.

Ochsner spokeswoman Aimee Goforth said federal regulations prevent her from revealing any patient information. She could not confirm or deny that Smith had been treated there that day. But Smith's wife said she did indeed pick him up from Ochsner.

Before he died, Smith told the deputy when he was cleared for release from the emergency room, he asked his doctor about his money but was told that no money had been secured for him in the hospital safe, as is procedure, the incident report said.

Goforth confirmed that when a patient is brought to the emergency room without a family member, any valuables are placed inside a locker, the key to which is held by the charge nurse. The valuables are returned when the patient is discharged.

Though his wallet was returned, Smith said her husband didn't have a single dollar on him when she picked him up. When they contacted the paramedic's supervisor, Lisa Smith said her husband was advised to contact the Sheriff's Office if he thought a theft had occurred.

Unsure of what exactly happened, Smith didn't make that call for another four days. He wanted to check with the store, the report said. But once the manager reviewed the videotape, he immediately directed Smith to call the authorities.

Englade said the hospital will review the incident. Hospital officials picked up a copy of the surveillance footage Wednesday.

"For our EMTs, the public's trust is of great importance to them," she said.

Lisa Smith admitted that her husband had spent time in prison for attempted murder. But she said he had served his sentence and moved on. Lisa Smith said her husband was not a liar and did not make up the allegations.

As they returned home from the hospital on the day of his collapse, Smith had expressed shock that his money had been taken. According to Lisa Smith, her husband said, "That's a trip, Boo. I wonder how many people they get away with doing this to."

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Michelle Hunter can be reached at (504) 883-7054.

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